Emissions Legislations Likely to Increase R&D Investments

We live in interesting times! The VW scandal has resulted in a renewed push by many leaders I know to emphasize company values and the importance of living them relentlessly. It has also brought emissions legislation and the associated testing into the public eye. At TECAT, our customers, the top testing and development laboratories both public and corporate, use our wireless sensors to provide critical data that they tell us they have no other way of getting.

Last week I attended the SAE Commercial Vehicle conference (ComVec) where one of the executive panel discussions focused on Greenhouse Gas Legislation and specifically the On-Highway “phase 2” Commercial Vehicle requirements. Panelists were from OEM’s, Engine Manufacturers, Regulators, and Trade Associations. The current “phase 1” requirements we designed to use “off the shelf” technology, was implemented quickly (approved in ’11 and phased in by ’14), and was the first regulation to address the complete vehicle rather than just the engine. Phase 2 is quite different. It is designed to be “technology forcing” with a longer adoption timeline (2018-2027) to insure viability of new technologies.

One presenter estimates the industry will invest $25 billion in R&D to produce the technologies needed to meet the new requirements. We are looking forward to partnering with our customers, leveraging our technology and development capabilities, to meet these challenges.